posted on: 02/28/2023
By AHP Staff
Have you ever taken a step back to evaluate your business and wonder what you can do better, or have you thought of every possible way that you know of to help boost your business? Most of us have been there, and with the ever-changing times, we must constantly reset, reevaluate, and tweak our strategies for further success.
In part one of this six-part series, we will explore promotions that can be helpful especially during slow times or even during your busy times to push that ticket a little higher.
1. Birthdays Blow:
Offer complimentary blowouts on clients’ birthdays.
2. Don’t Be Shady:
Offer complimentary brow color with each color service.
3. Bachelorette Pregame:
Encourage clients to bring a friend to get glammed up before a big event with two-for-one makeup applications.
4. Bachelor Pregame:
Have the groom and groomsmen come in for a line up and refresh before the big night out.
5. Makeover Takeover:
Repost (with clients’ permission) all the salon’s before/after makeover pictures from the month on social media and ask clients and their friends to vote on the best. The client in the before/after picture with the most likes win a complimentary retouch/follow-up appointment.
6. Mother-Daughter BOGO:
Create fun specials on Mother’s Day, Grandmother’s Day, Wife Appreciation Day, etc.
7. Life’s A Beach:
Offer a free texture spray with the purchase of a beach-waving hot tool.
8. Beards and Beer:
Offer a complimentary beer with every beard trim.
9. Brow Besties:
Offer two-for-one brow waxes.
10. Wax On, Wax Off:
Include a complimentary paraffin dip with each waxing service.
11. Shampoo Swap:
Ask clients to bring in their current drugstore shampoo and styling products for a $5 credit toward professional ones.
12. Go Fish:
When a client pre-books their next appointment, they get to draw a complimentary add-on service out of a fishbowl.
13. We Wear Pink on Wednesdays:
Promote on social media that if a client wears pink to an appointment on the first Wednesday of each month, they receive a complimentary scalp massage. For added fun and promotion, have the staff wear pink too. Remind clients when they’re deciding which day to pre-book.
14. Buried Treasure:
Put all your clearance products you wish would disappear into a treasure chest and let clients pick one when they pre-book, or give a super discounted clearance price (like $5) to help rotate out old inventory.
15. 50 Shades of Gray Coverage:
Every 50th client getting color to cover gray during the month gets it for free.
16. Cops Count:
Give away cuts for law enforcement officials on Mondays (or whichever day is slowest).
17. Service Industry Day:
Did you know that servers and bartenders get special pricing on Mondays at many bars and restaurants? Get in on the action by having special pricing for them at your salon on Mondays too. Bonus: They are constantly in front of tons of people and are a great source for referrals.
18. Love Your Selfie:
Announce that if clients post a selfie tagging the salon, they receive a secret gift.
19. Waxing Wednesday:
Offer a complimentary brow wax with any chemical service.
20. Prepare to Be Blown Away:
Hand out complimentary blowout cards. If the client purchases a product at the time of the complimentary blowout, they get to keep the card and use it again.
21. Military Appreciation:
For Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veteran’s Day, offer active and retired military personnel complimentary haircuts.
22. Pay it Forward:
Promote on social media that a random person will be gifted a makeover with the agreement that they will then pay it forward. Ask them to then share on social media how they paid it forward. This can also make a great story for the local paper.
23. Princess Prom:
Create packages for prom named after princesses. For example, “The Ariel” comes with a blowout for beautiful mermaid hair, makeup application, and manicure (because Ariel doesn’t have toenails) while “The Cinderella” comes with an up-do, makeup application, and pedicure (because Cinderella’s toes were out when she lost her shoe). The cute packages will give high school girls something fun to talk about and spread the word to their friends.
24. Put Your Best Face Forward:
Anyone on their way to a job interview can come in for a complimentary, good-luck makeup application or blowout. If they get the job, they’re your new loyal client!
25. National Nurses Day:
On May 6, take care of those who take care of us by offering nurses a complimentary pedicure.
26. Happy Hour:
Take your slowest block of the week and create Happy Hour pricing for that time until your book is consistently, completely full.
These 26 tips for promotions are just a few ideas that you can bring to life in the salon or barbershop as you see fit. Giving away or offering some extra goodies for your clients not only strengthens your relationship with them, but will also help create new ones.
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